ANYTHING FOR CHRIST

 

An adventurous, fun-loving child who felt an early call to the missionary life, BL. MARIO VERGARA entered the PIME seminary in Monza in 1929. After enduring a life-threatening illness his first year in seminary, he finally returned to his studies in 1933.

 

He was ordained in August of 1934 by the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan Bl. Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, OSB and left one month later for Burma. Known for his love for children and the sick, he was always on the move, undeterred by discomforts, bad weather, and attacks of malaria.

Father Vergara was entrusted a small village and it was there that he ensured that there be regular catechesis lessons and the celebration of the sacraments. He also established various assistance services and an orphanage for children. 

When WWII broke out, and Italy declared war on England, all Italian missionaries were declared “fascists.” Bl. Mario was sent with the other missionaries to a concentration camp in India. He was released in 1944 and assigned to the mission of Toungoo. The British were no longer in control, but rebels sought to overthrow the government, where Bl. Mario was killed by the rebels, along with Isidore Ngei Ko Lat*, on May 24, 1950.

*Born in Burma in 1918 to peasant parents, Bl. Isidore was baptized into the Catholic faith. After his parents’ untimely death when he was still young, both Isidore and his younger brother were taken care of by their uncle and aunt. From an early age, Bl. Isidore expressed an interest in using his life to serve God. He began studying in the seminary and remained there for six years, up until the beginning of World War II. During World War II, he  returned to his native village, where he served as a catechist, opening a small school for the children of his region.